Pope Francis calls for end to death penalty: '' it's against the Gospel''

"because it is voluntarily decided to suppress a human life that is always holy in the eyes of the Creator"

(ANSA) - Vatican City, October 11 - Pope Francis on Wednesday called for an end to the death penalty, calling it "an inhuman measure that humiliates human dignity, however it is pursued".

He went on: "it is per se contrary to the Gospel because it is voluntarily decided to suppress a human life which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator." Francis said "it is necessary to reaffirm that, however serious the crime committed may have been, the death penalty is inadmissible because it undermines the inviolability and dignity of the person". The Vatican has frequently voiced support for campaigns to revoke the death penalty.